New Etsy Shop and the Marketing Challenge

I may be crazy, giving myself more work to do by opening another Etsy shop, but I feel that each one has its own unique products, and that they are deserving of their own showcases. Plus, let's face it.  When stressful situations hit me, I go into a mode of needing something to distract me.  The trick is, making it a healthy distraction.....and this go-around I have decided it is going to be concentrating on my house and my art as a necessary and POSITIVE means of sublimation. And it doesn't hurt that I have been granted two snow days in a row, and have the time to work on my own business instead of someone else's.

Right now, I have the CATSKILLPAPER shop, for my antique paper and collectibles, PAGIBBONS, for my fine art, general cards and decorative items, and now, the recent new shop, NURSERY CRIMES for my left of center work. 

It takes a lot of work to get these shops set up as I have to maintain different emails for each one (rather ludicrous that you can't use one for all, but I guess this might make for better security?) but in the end it is a method of advertising what I do out into the world.  I have to make more art to fill up the stores, and then figure out how to better promote them. 

Which is a blog unto itself....how to better promote our shops. (readers, if you have contributions to make towards this conversation, I am wanting you to post them!!!!)

I have my stores names in my signatures, and in the signatures of any groups that I am active with on Yahoo.  I periodically post on Facebook and Twitter, though I don't like to bombard my friends and readers with too much advertising.  It IS necessary however, for an artist/musician/writer to self promote as no one can enjoy what we do if we do it in a vacuum.   I don't have money for an advertising budget, but I am considering having postcards made up with the images of some of my favorite pieces on it.  One of a landscape Painting, one of a fine art collage,  and one of my card design work.  They make fairly inexpensive promotional pieces, and I can list all of my online presences on the back of the card.   If I design it the right way, it can be designed as a regular post card, so that someone could even mail it out.  Postcards are also easy to post on bulletin boards, or put into a rack of postcards that can usually be found at community galleries and other such places.  Heck, I wish I were wealthy enough to print up cards and just leave them all over the place!

BRAINSTORM.  What a fun future project to do.  The wheels are turning.

And, I would love a comment about my new store banner.  Have been thinking of making up some digital banners and selling them on Etsy too.......so many ideas, so little time.

Patti O Snow